| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| PhillyfarmGirl |
Posted - Jul 11 2005 : 6:57:54 PM
Greetings everyone!
I am so tickled to have found this forum! I received the Maryjane Butter's book for my birthday this year after seeing it and falling in love with it in the local Barnes. Upon reading an excerpt to my beloved, he said "it is a book about you!" It is so true and I am so grateful to connect with others who are either active farmgirls or having farmgirl fantasies.
I am a sahm, homeschooling mama of three. My oldest two have/are in the process of graduating homeschool and my youngest is 9th grade this year. I grew up in the city of Chicago and for the longest thought I was a dyed in the wool city girl but this is so not true anymore. Nine years of country life in Maryland and Lancaster County, PA., have totally converted me and I am now a true country girl. Three years ago we moved to Philadelphia and although I know in my heart it was the right move to make I have mourned my farm life since. After one and a half years of moping and misery, trying to fit in, hating everything about the city, I finally decided to "bloom where I was planted". I now dress my farm girl way, I have a wonderful flower garden that I am slowly creating. It has become such a source of serenity for me. I love to quilt, sew, knit and crochet. I make tapestry weavings, hooked rugs, I use a drop spindle, needle felt and I have a ball with it all! Next year I hope to add veggies to my garden. Mind you I only have a VERY little land, less than a postage stamp, but I have gotten very creative with containers. I hope to try the Earthbox next year. Anyone have success with that? My beloved and I dream of having farm and sheep someday. Well, I guess that is all for now. I look forward to getting to know you all!
All the best!
Philly Farm Girl 
~It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion;
It is easy in solitude to live after our own;
but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd
keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.~
~Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| 16 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mollymae |
Posted - Jul 17 2005 : 3:29:42 PM
Hi Susan!! Isn't it funny, though? Actually you inspired me to go over to homeschoolblogger.com, by your link to your blog! I checked it out and decided that was the place for me, as well as here! I love having women that hold the same things dear that I hold dear, that I can turn to for comfort, for inspiration, for unconditional acceptance and love!
Cead Mile Failte,
Molly
"If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. If I can ease one life the Aching or cool one pain, or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain" ~Emily Dickinson
**When life throws scraps your way ~ Make a Quilt!**
Sisterhood of the Traveling Art |
| Kim |
Posted - Jul 17 2005 : 11:04:44 AM
Oh, what a wonderful meaning! It sounds lovely!
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
| TheSoapMaven |
Posted - Jul 17 2005 : 06:34:47 AM
Waving at Yael (I have a dear dear friend named Yael who lives in MA) and MollyMae!!! Sneaking in over here to check on new posts...happy to see you here as well as over at homeschoolblogger.com Funny how all us homeschool moms flock to the same places! When your heart is turned towards home, you have to seek out those kindred spirits! This is a wonderful place.
Welcome!
Blessings & Bliss!.· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ .·´ -:¦:-~Susan~
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*
Wife, Mother, Natural Woman, Savonnière, Writer, Baker, Gardener.
Wife to Jerry for 27+ years
Mom to Zach, Gesikah, Nathan, Hannah, Rachel and Benjamin
Yetta to Sam
Proprietress of Dahlem's Soapworks
http://www.thesoapmaven.com
"It's no bad thing to celebrate a simple life" ~ Bilbo Baggins
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| MeadowLark |
Posted - Jul 16 2005 : 8:41:13 PM
Your name and the meaning is very beautiful! Yael, So glad you have joined this community and look forward to sharing ideas, stories, laughter and plain old women's chat with you!
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. http://www.xs4all.nl/~josvg/cits/sb/sb101.html |
| PhillyfarmGirl |
Posted - Jul 16 2005 : 8:32:26 PM
Hi Kim,
Thank for the kind words and welcome.
My name is taken from the Hebrew word for mountain goat and it means to ascend, to go up higher. It is pronounced: ya-ayl or ya-el
Blessings!
quote:
Originally posted by Kim
Yael, what a pretty name and welcome! A woman after my own heart! I grew up in Indiana and have always admired the Amish. Emerson is one of my favorites!
Does your name have any special meaning and how is it pronounced if you don't mind me asking?
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow
~It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion;
It is easy in solitude to live after our own;
but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd
keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.~
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
http://homeschoolblogger.com/PhillyFarmGirl/ |
| Kim |
Posted - Jul 16 2005 : 07:42:18 AM
Yael, what a pretty name and welcome! A woman after my own heart! I grew up in Indiana and have always admired the Amish. Emerson is one of my favorites!
Does your name have any special meaning and how is it pronounced if you don't mind me asking?
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
| PhillyfarmGirl |
Posted - Jul 13 2005 : 04:09:09 AM
Hi there Bramble,
I live in the NorthEast. Thanks for all the tips for Philly! Can you believe I have not been to a one of these things? I am going to have to check it out! I have been here in Philly for about three years now, and like I said the first year and a half was spent mourning and having a pity party. 
Funny you should mention about Lancaster and being developed, because I really noticed it this last time. Alot of the Amish are moving on to Indiana County because of this. Some of my friends are still there, they have farms, but many of them have moved. I am not so sure the next generation will stay there in Lancaster county (thinking near the village of Intercourse). So many of them do not farm now because who can afford the land there?! It is exhorbant what the land is going for. So, as you know many are going into carpentry etc. I also heard that there is a migration going on to the midwest and Florida. It would be sad, I think, if we (PA) were to lose them all. I told my children not to be shocked if someday we go into Lancaster and find that it has become a tourist spot for the Amish with no actual Amish living there, you know like a Williamsburg,Va. thing, just re-enactors. 
All the best!
quote:
Originally posted by bramble
HI Yael and welcome to MJF! You'll find kindred spirits here for sure! What part of Philadelphia are you in? There are so many neighborhoods with names!You've discovered Fairmount Park by now but have you been to Morris Arboretum in Chestnut Hill? Not to be missed! Have you discovered PhilaGreen yet? It's a network of community gardens all over the city. You will probably meet some like minded people there, I did when I went to school in Phila. My room mate was from Lancaster and we visited alot during college, so I know what you mean about how special an area it is. Unfortunately, it like everywhere is becoming overly suburbanized.
I loved your quilting story, how nice to just join in for a spell. We've got quilters here too so don't be shy, jump on in! Glad you found us, I'm in central NJ not far from the Delaware so we are neighbors of a sort!Keep posting!
with a happy heart
~It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion;
It is easy in solitude to live after our own;
but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd
keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.~
~Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| bramble |
Posted - Jul 12 2005 : 4:12:34 PM
HI Yael and welcome to MJF! You'll find kindred spirits here for sure! What part of Philadelphia are you in? There are so many neighborhoods with names!You've discovered Fairmount Park by now but have you been to Morris Arboretum in Chestnut Hill? Not to be missed! Have you discovered PhilaGreen yet? It's a network of community gardens all over the city. You will probably meet some like minded people there, I did when I went to school in Phila. My room mate was from Lancaster and we visited alot during college, so I know what you mean about how special an area it is. Unfortunately, it like everywhere is becoming overly suburbanized.
I loved your quilting story, how nice to just join in for a spell. We've got quilters here too so don't be shy, jump on in! Glad you found us, I'm in central NJ not far from the Delaware so we are neighbors of a sort!Keep posting!
with a happy heart |
| justacitygurl |
Posted - Jul 12 2005 : 2:03:53 PM
Welcome Yael. Another city gurl here. I have wanted to move to the country for sooo long, it is longing you feel in your gut. Sounds like you you have had some interesting experiences and hopefully gain new information from this site to add to those experiences.
Dorothy
just a city gurl wishing she was a farm girl |
| brownswissgal |
Posted - Jul 12 2005 : 08:11:06 AM
Welcome Philly Farm Gal :)
Homeschooling has always interested me..... Good for you :) You'd be surprised how creative you can get with a small amount of space... We're lucky to have a huge garden... but more to weed unless the geese get to them first LOL... The Amish are wonderful folks... we have many Amish friends up here... Quilting is my next task to take on.... I have always admired the craftmanship in quilts. Nice to meet you and good luck with your ventures!
Julie
I never met a cow I didn't like |
| mollymae |
Posted - Jul 12 2005 : 07:56:32 AM
I love that story Yael, too! How wonderful to get to quilt with them. I have visited Lancaster twice, and stayed in the "Green Acres Farm B&B" (so fun). My boys still talk about that first trip there, and that was 8-9 years ago! I just ordered the book "Plain and Simple" on somebody's recommendation and can't wait to read it. The author spent time living with some of the Amish. We've been homeschooling now for 4 years now, I think (the time goes by so fast!), and truly feel it's our calling in life!
Cead Mile Failte,
Molly
"If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. If I can ease one life the Aching or cool one pain, or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain" ~Emily Dickinson
**When life throws scraps your way ~ Make a Quilt!**
Sisterhood of the Traveling Art |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Jul 12 2005 : 05:48:47 AM
Yael - that is exactly the kind of story I was hoping you would share! I have always been very interested in Amish (who isn't?), since I was 11 and vacationed there with my parents. It really struck a chord with me even then that living simply was quite a wonderful way of life. How lovely for you to have been able to sit down and quilt with a group of Amish women and listen to their talk and just "be" with them. I know they work very hard and it is not all romantic, but still...
Growing up in Illinois, we would visit Arthur, Illinois, and an Amish community lives there. I loved to go there!
Please share more with us about your time in Lancaster!
jpbluesky
Heartland girl |
| PhillyfarmGirl |
Posted - Jul 12 2005 : 04:10:26 AM
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome! I will definetly be checking out the homeschool folder. How long have you homeschooled? We have been homeschooling for about 11 years now. Wow, writng that has blown me away. It really is just away of life for us.
We lived in Elkton, Maryland. In Lancaster we lived right in the heart of an Amish community. That was quite an experience. I drove taxi for them and they tilled my garden for me. It worked quite nicely. Just recently I was home and stopped in a thrift store there. I wandered upstairs to the quilt room and there were two large groups of Amish ladies quilting. Well, since I have no one to quilt with here (yet) I sat myself down and thought I would just watch. Well, one of the ladies started chatting with me and asked if I did quilt. I said yes and then she said, "well, why don't you help us?" I tell you, you do not have to ask me twice. I got myself some thead, needle and thimble, parked myself next to a young women and started to quilt! It was so wonderful. My youngest came looking for me and was not astonished when she saw me with all the Amish ladies quilting.
°Ü° :::sigh, I miss that::: I shall have to start a Farmgirl chapter here!
All the best!
~It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion;
It is easy in solitude to live after our own;
but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd
keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.~
~Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| mollymae |
Posted - Jul 11 2005 : 9:07:39 PM
Welcome Yael! I am also a homeschool mama, check out our homeschool folder on the board, a lot of us farmgirls are homeschoolers as well! Where in Maryland did you live? We lived in Glen Burnie (15 min. from Baltimore) for 3 years. I absolutely love the quote from Emerson, I'm going to have to save that somewhere...by the way, Emerson is one of my hubby's ancestors!! Looking forward to getting to know you better!!
Cead Mile Failte,
Molly
"If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. If I can ease one life the Aching or cool one pain, or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain" ~Emily Dickinson
**When life throws scraps your way ~ Make a Quilt!**
Sisterhood of the Traveling Art |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Jul 11 2005 : 8:19:25 PM
Welcome Philly!!!
You sound just great..I can't wait to hear more about you! Glad you are here!
Jenny in Utah
The best things in life arn't things! |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Jul 11 2005 : 7:11:13 PM
Welcome Phillyfarmgirl! Glad to have you here. I like the Emerson quote you chose. And I would love to hear more about your time in rural Pennsylvania.
A lot of good veggies can be grown in a small plot or a container. You will have fun with that, and will be able to pluck fresh food right before dinner!
jpbluesky
Heartland girl |
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